Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Well, show me the way
To the next whisky bar
Oh, don't ask why
Oh, don't ask why
Show me the way
To the next whisky bar
Oh, don't ask why
Oh, don't ask why
For if we don't find
The next whisky bar
I tell you we must die
I tell you we must die
I tell you, I tell you
I tell you we must die
Oh, moon of Alabama
We now must say goodbye
We've lost our good old mama
And must have whisky, oh, you know why
Oh, moon of Alabama
We now must say goodbye
We've lost our good old mama
And must have whisky, oh, you know why, yeah
Well, show me the way
To the next little girl
Oh, don't ask why
Oh, don't ask why
Show me the way
To the next little girl
Oh, don't ask why
Oh, don't ask why
For if we don't find
The next little girl
I tell you we must die
I tell you we must die
I tell you, I tell you
I tell you we must die
Oh, moon of Alabama
We now must say goodbye
We've lost our good old mama
And must have whisky, oh, you know why
To the next whisky bar
Oh, don't ask why
Oh, don't ask why
Show me the way
To the next whisky bar
Oh, don't ask why
Oh, don't ask why
For if we don't find
The next whisky bar
I tell you we must die
I tell you we must die
I tell you, I tell you
I tell you we must die
Oh, moon of Alabama
We now must say goodbye
We've lost our good old mama
And must have whisky, oh, you know why
Oh, moon of Alabama
We now must say goodbye
We've lost our good old mama
And must have whisky, oh, you know why, yeah
Well, show me the way
To the next little girl
Oh, don't ask why
Oh, don't ask why
Show me the way
To the next little girl
Oh, don't ask why
Oh, don't ask why
For if we don't find
The next little girl
I tell you we must die
I tell you we must die
I tell you, I tell you
I tell you we must die
Oh, moon of Alabama
We now must say goodbye
We've lost our good old mama
And must have whisky, oh, you know why
Lyrics submitted by yuri_sucupira
Alabama Song (Whisky Bar) Lyrics as written by Bertolt Brecht Kurt Weill
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
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This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Trouble Breathing
Alkaline Trio
Alkaline Trio
While the obvious connections with suicide or alcoholism could be drawn easily, more subtly this song could be about someone who views the world through a negative lens constantly and how as much as the writer tries to show the beauty in the world, this person refuses to see it. It's one or another between the rope and the bottle. There is no good option for this person. They can't see it. Skiba sings it in a kind of exasperated way like He's tired of hearing this negative view constantly and just allowing that person to continue feeling the way they feel knowing he can't do anything about it. You can hear it when he says maybe you're a vampire.
System
Mel And Kim
Mel And Kim
Just listening for the 784,654th time....and it's just perfect in every way. Just incredible. The only reason it was remade was to scoop up a boatload of money from a more modern and accepting audience. But it is a completely different song than the other one that sounds slapped together in a few takes without a thought for the meaning.
This song captivates me still, after 50+ years. Takes me to the deep South and the poverty of some who lived thru truly hard times. And the powerful spirit of a poor young girl being abandoned to her future with only a red dress and her wits to keep her alive.
She not only stayed alive, she turned her hard beginnings around, became self sufficient, successful and someone with respect for herself. She didn't let the naysayers and judgers stop her. She's the one sitting in the drivers seat at the end.
So, not a song about a poor girl, but a song of hope and how you can rise up no matter how far down you started.
There is a huge difference between a singer who simply belts out a song that is on a page in front of them, and someone who can convey an entire experience with their voice. Telling not just a story with words, but taking you inside it and making you feel like you are there, with their interpretation.
LOL at you people who are telling these long anecdotes about how Jim wrote this song because of something that happened at the Whiskey A-Go Go, or it's and old Russian song, or bla bla. This song was written by the iconic German playwright Bertolt Brecht for Hauspostille in 1927, then put to music later by Kurt Weill for the musical Mahagonny, co-written by Weill and Brecht.
Ray Manzarek had this musical on vinyl, and all of the Doors listened to it thinking it was weird and would fit their style well. So they added it to the album (without attributing it to its rightful songwriters!)
The version they made is quite a bit different from the Kurt Weill version. Nevertheless, it is an amazing rock song, one of my favorites of theirs. But no, Jim did not write this, and neither did the "old Russians."
(If you don't believe me, watch the VH1 Classic Albums documenting The Doors first album. Hear it in their own words.)
Damn people, if you don't know what you're talking about, don't talk...
no harsh man "if you dont know what youre talking about, dont talk" it isn't about we don't know what we talk....we talk what we know.
This is a great sing a long song when you are extremely drunk.
man i love the beat to this song. heh, its seems like the Doors like theyre whiskey like they like their women.....12 years old.
the doors didn't even write this song, so buddy it has nothing to do with the doors this song was written by kurt weill and performed 1st by lotta lenya then the doors sang it, then bowie changed most of the wrds.. thats some of the history of the song, but i tell you its not about anything to do with the doors, Jim morrison can relate to the song, but its not about him,alright? alright!
this song is kind of hard to uderstand because its not abgout what you think. The Doors were banned from the whiskey ago go for bein too crazy and saying what the said in "the end" Jim wrote this song saying that he wanted to the same thing only with the rest of the world, he pissed off the producers at the Ed sullivan show, always gettin into trouble with police. He liked pissing people off and used the Whiskey ago go as an example of what he wanted to do therefore he wanted to find the way to the next whiskey bar (another place to piss people off)
yea dog! I like your song meaning for this song. You summed it up perfectly!
This would make sense, except that Jim didn't write this song, it's a cover(albeit an amazing one).
Jim wanted to spread the word "WAKE UP"!!!!!!!!! wake up from this delivered dream we were free in our mothers womb and shackled at birth, Jim says WAKE UP we can be free again we must own our minds
Amen to that! at least some people in this world are... slowly, but surely everyone will be awake.
Actually this song originally comes from a poem or better said a "song" of Bert Brecht eecg.toronto.edu/~flouris/docs/brecht4.html And the music was performed by Kurt Weill
i need a shot of whiskey.... did i say a shot better make 2, better yet make it 3 or 4 or 5 enough to keep me on the ground or in the toliet
This song is amazing to sing when your harmmerd, espeacily if your feeling lonely.
Actually.... Ray Manzarek, the keyboardist in the doors had old records of German showtunes, so they found this song and used it. I might have interpreted this wrong though, but oh well.